Further talks needed on waste
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta administration must admit that it still needs Bantar Gebang dump site and should discuss issues of compensation and environmental measures to help improve the quality of life of people living near the site with the neighboring municipal administration.
Head of the Indonesian Waste Forum, Sri Bebassari, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that it was the only way to avoid a crisis next year following Bekasi's decision not to extend the use of the 104-hectare Bantar Gebang dump site.
The agreement between Jakarta and Bekasi on the dump site will end on Dec. 31. Jakarta has been using Bantar Gebang since 1986.
"Both Jakarta and Bekasi administrations must try to resolve their differences and also show goodwill to compromise," said Sri, also an expert at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).
The Jakarta Sanitation Agency had said earlier that it could only prepare a new waste treatment facility treatment in Bojong village, Klapanunggal subdistrict, Bogor regency. The agency plans to use German technology in treating garbage to minimize environmental damage.
The facility can only take in 1,500 tons of garbage per day, far below Jakarta's 6,000 tons of garbage per day.
However, local residents oppose the new facility, fearing damage to the environment as in Bantar Gebang.
Two other waste treatment facilities in Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta, and on Jl. Cakung Cilincing, East Jakarta, will not be ready by early next year.
Should Jakarta fail to extend the use of Bantar Gebang, the capital's citizens will experience a garbage crisis as happened in late 2001 when Bekasi closed Bantar Gebang due to environmental concerns.
Garbage was piling up on the capital's street corners and in neighborhoods as garbage trucks failed to collect the garbage.
The crisis ended after President Megawati Soekarnoputri intervened.
Sri said that the dispute between the two administrations was due to their failure to admit that both actually enjoy mutual benefit from the cooperation.
She pointed out that Jakarta administration must comply with all items already agreed upon including the improvement of waste treatment processing in Bantar Gebang to avoid worsening environmental damage.
Jakarta's household waste, which is transported daily to Bantar Gebang, is supposed to be dealt with using the sanitary landfill system. In reality, the garbage is just dumped in the open, causing environmental damage in the surrounding areas.
Many residents living near the dump site suffer from respiratory problems, continual diarrhea and various skin ailments, due to the foul air and contaminated ground water.
Following the dispute in 2001, Jakarta finally agreed to pay Rp 22 billion (US$2.59 million) to Bekasi, of which Rp 14 billion was paid in 2002 and the remaining Rp 8 billion this year.
The money was used to improve infrastructure in villages around the Bantar Gebang dump and to build a health clinic.